Publication: The Economic Utility of Beads Culture of the Samburu Tribe of Kenya
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2013
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African Journal of Social Sciences
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Abstract
Beads have played an important role in the personal lives of Africans. They have
been valued as currency, identification of status and as an artistic medium. Beads
forms an integral part of the Samburu culture and have many uses and symbolic
meanings. The first periodic beads market in Samburu District was established in
Maralal town in 1991. The aim of this study is to clarify how the Samburu
pastoralists reacted to the emergence of the beads market that provided them
constant opportunity for trade. Equally
Equall it analyses the economic utility of this trade
to the cultural systems and believes among the Samburu. The method applied in the
study was largely qualitative research. This was done through library search,
interview schedules and observation. Based on the
t he findings, beads are used in all
aspects of the Samburu lives and actually vibrate the culture. This study will be of
help to historians, artists, ethnographers, anthropologists and the general public as a
body of knowledge and reference material of the uses and symbolism of beads
among other communities.
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Keywords
Beads, Symbolism, Culture, Africa